The Bourbon Women’s next event is “Women of  Many Flavors,” to be held 5:30-8 p.m. May 17 at the new Distilled Spirits Epicenter in downtown Louisville.

Epicenter founder David Dafoe and Jane Conner, senior Heritage Team manager for Maker’s Mark, will demonstrate how one subtle flavor can make or break a cocktail. Attendees will sample the cocktails and enjoy hors d’oeuvres.

Dafoe is the founder of Flavorman, a company that helps clients develop beverages. He opened the Distilled Spirits Epicenter at 801 S. Eighth St. in April to teach people about artisan distilling and allow them to create their own unique spirits. The company also has a bottling line for small production runs. 

The cost of the May event is $30 for Bourbon Women members and $75 for others, which includes a one-year BW membership. For more information or to register, click here.

Renee Richardson Gosline, assistant professor of management science and marketing at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, talking about bourbon in a story about Bourbon Women in the Boston Globe. Read it here.

As much as I love bourbon, I am a bit ashamed to admit that I have never attended the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, Ky., the self-proclaimed “Bourbon Capital of the World.”

I plan to remedy that situation next month at the Bourbon Festival’s 20th anniversary, Sept. 13-18. Festival organizers have 39 events lined up. One that I’m particularly looking forward to, “Any Way She Likes It” — a tasting conducted by Peggy Noe Stevens, former Master Bourbon Taster and founder of the Bourbon Women Association — has sold out, but there are plenty of other tastings and tours on tap. 

View the complete schedule and purchase tickets here, and I’ll see you in Bardstown!